Turning Tables
by Cheye13
Summary: Sam and Dean come across another hunter in their search for a job. She and Dean surprising hit it off spectacularly. But Dean's learned a lot about relationships since the apocalypse began. Dean/OC Set at beginning of s5 to Turning Tables by Adele.


Dean lay in the cheap motel queen, staring at the wall, his clothes still strewn across the floor. Next to him, a woman with dark hair rested, asleep.

They had met Caroline on their way through Illinois. There had been some big electrical storms in Iowa and smaller ones in the Rock Island area of Illinois. Sam had been driving; it had been about two AM. They'd heard shots nearby and stopped the car. They had rounded the corner of the building to see a petite young woman dressed in black firing a hand fun at a man in a suit who was running from her. When he was out of sight, she'd turned and found them.

"Zombie. Trying to go back to work. Gotta figure out how to get him back to his grave." At their surprised looks, she'd continued. "You're hunters, aren't you? I don't know a lot of people that go walking around at night with loaded shot guns."

"How do you know they're loaded?" Sam asked.

"'Cause carrying an unloaded one would be stupid."

They'd gone to the nearest bar to have a drink. They traded hunting news and recently kill stories. She had been the one to bring up the apocalypse.

"We've got a full-on war here, boys," she had said. "That's a lot to deal with."

After sharing a glance with Sam, Dean answered, "Don't we know it."

_Close enough_

_To start a war_

_All that I have_

_Is on the floor_

Sam had gone up to the room alone, in the middle of Dean's energetic recap of the vengeful spirit they'd hunted last. Dean spared him a concerned glance, knowing everything was taking a big toll on him.

He and Caroline had stayed up a while longer, and when they'd run out of hunting stories, they moved onto the war and their tactics. They'd begun flirting after a few drinks, but their conversation had only grown more serious.

He'd told her about the angels. About hell. He had neglected to mention that he'd broken the first seal and his brother had broken the last - that didn't tend to make them friends. But he'd told her everything else. what the angels wanted, what the demons wanted, and where he and his brother and most other hunters stood: in the middle.

He wanted to tell her about Michael. About being a vessel. He almost did, too. But lying there, listening to her breathe, he knew he couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone.

_God only knows_

_What we're fighting for_

_All that I say_

_You always say more_

"These angels, see -"

"The ones that dragged you outta hell."

"Yeah, see, they say I'm the only one that can end it."

She had paused, seemingly considering what he'd said.

"Well, then, you'll end it."

He couldn't hold back a chuckle. He looked down the neck of his bottle and shook his head. "That's the thing, though. I know I need to. But I don't know if I can." He looked back up. "I know it's resting on my shoulders and I'm going to try - so help me God, I'm going to try - but I've been wondering… what difference will it make, you know?" His gaze fell to his fingers, tracing the grains of the wooden table.

"You'll end it."

His attention snapped back to her. "How can you say -"

"You'll do it. I know."

"But why -"

"The angels didn't drag you back up for kicks. You can stop this. You will stop it."

"But I told you, they're not - "

"You may not be doing what they want you to, but they haven't thrown you back, have they? You're the only one that can do it. I think I'm pretty good at reading people, and I can read you, Dean. You're strong enough. And you're not alone; you have a lot of people believing in you, angels too. So you'll do it. You won't be able to resist."

There was a smile playing around her lips as she finished. She raised her bottle and drained it.

_I can't keep up_

_With your turning tables_

_Under your thumb_

_I can't breathe_

He was sitting on the bed as she checked her weapons.

"So where do you think it'll be?"

"He's been squatting in his own apartment, but there's a tree outside his daughter's school he climbs during the day. Don't know who brought him back, I'm starting to think he doesn't either."

"You're gonna smoke him outta the tree?"

"Yup."

"How?"

"I'll talk him down. Like I said, I'm good at reading people. Goes for dead people too."

"Hey, you want some backup? Me and Sam -"

"You know," she turned to face him. "Thanks, Dean, but I think I've got this one covered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. Hunted before and all."

He paused. "Right." He cleared his throat, then added, "I'll grab some breakfast with Sammy then. See you 'round."

"Yeah." She smiled at him as he left.

_So I won't let you_

_Close enough to hurt me_

_No I won't ask you_

_You to just desert me_

"So you wanna tail her?"

"Yup."

The left the diner and headed to the impala. "She has hunted before, Dean. She's probably right when she says she can handle it."

"So we'll just be there as a backup plan. We'll let her handle it, but jump in if it goes south. I'm not letting a good hunter go down, Sammy. We need everyone we can get."

_I can't give you_

_What you think you gave me_

_It's time to say goodbye_

_To turning tables_

_To turning tables_

They parked a block away and watched her talk a zombie out of a tree and into her car. They followed her to the cemetery and saw everything - while the man was looking at his open grave, his back turned to her, she pulled a stake from her bag and launched herself at him. After closing the coffin and kicking some dirt in on top of it, she turned and looked directly at the impala.

"You guys gonna sit there or you wanna make yourselves useful?" she shouted. She pulled two small shovels from her bag, then stood with her hands on her hips until they joined her with a third shovel.

_Under harder skies I see you, ooh_

_Where love is lost your ghost is found_

_I'd brave a hundred storms to leave you_

_As hard as you try no I will never be knocked down_

"So where're you guys headed?"

"We're on our way to Iowa, on a trail of some big electrical storms," Sam answered.

"Really? That's what's got me out here. You think it's demons? Something big?"

"Maybe," Dean said, tossing his jacket on his bed.

Caroline leaned against the doorjamb. A silence spread across the room.

"Do you think - " she spoke up again. "Do you think you could use a bit of extra skill? Some extra hands?"

Both brothers slowed in their packing.

_I can't keep up_

_With your turning tables_

_Under your thumb_

_I can't breathe_

"Sam, can I talk with Caroline?"

"Sure." Sam zipped up the duffle and left the room, nodding politely at the girl as he left.

"So… You wanna jump on the bandwagon, huh?"

"I was just offering my services. If you don't want me along with you, I'm completely fine with that."

"I thought you were into the solo thing."

"I'd already basically done the job. There really wasn't much left to do and others would have just crowded it. If I didn't know what I was dealing with, I'd have been fine with help."

"Are you saying we don't know what we're dealing with?"

The silence stretched a bit too long for Dean's liking.

"You don't know what's causing the electrical storms. You're just beginning the hunt. I'm just offering some help here. It could be some pretty big shit going down. Don't you think the more hunters, the better?"

_I won't let you_

_Close enough to hurt me_

_No I won't ask you_

_You to just desert me_

_I can't give you_

_What you think you gave me_

_It's time to say goodbye_

_To turning tables_

_To turning tables_

Suddenly, his mind was filled with images of the people they couldn't save. After all the exorcisms, all the bodies they'd had to burn, and everyone the monsters had gotten to before he had reached them. People killed by shapeshifters, vengeful ghosts, raised dead, countless demigods and vampires. Everyone possessed by demons. Everyone who laid eyes upon or heard or were possessed by an angel, like Jimmy and his family. There were all the kids like Sammy, like Andy, who had been good people but ended up at each others throats because he couldn't find them in time...

_Next time I'll be braver_

_I'll be my own savior_

_When the thunder calls for me_

All the hunters lost in the trade. Ellen's husband and Jo's father. Travis, Richie, Pastor Jim. Bella. Pamela. Bobby would never walk again. Their own father. Adam, the brother they'd never know. Himself.

His own words rang back to him. He couldn't let a good hunter down.

The angels were after him and the devil was after his brother. He was not bringing an innocent girl into this.

_Next time I'll be braver_

_I'll be my own savior_

_Standing on my own two feet_

"Dean? You still with me?" Her voice recalled him to the motel room.

He smiled and a laugh escaped him. He walked up to her, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.

"Before I say this, I should tell you I don't think I've ever said this to anyone." He cupped her face. "I care about you."

He couldn't hide the smile; he was laughing at himself. He was being stupid and righteous and self-sacrificing… He couldn't believe how much he'd changed.

_I won't let you_

_Close enough to hurt me_

_No I won't ask you_

_You to just desert me_

_I can't give you_

_What you think you gave me_

_It's time to say goodbye_

_To turning tables_

_To turning tables_

_Turning tables_

He leaned down and kissed her.

"You can't come with us. I'm sorry," he whispered. He slipped his number into her back pocket and smacked her butt as he left.

She watched him toss the backpack into the back seat and slide behind the wheel of the impala.


End file.
